Dropping $10 to head into the Pitt gives you the experience of a lengthy Fallout 3 questline, with the emphasis clearly on story and exploration. The story concerns a matter that could change the whole Wasteland, which prompted the following thought: As the new directors of it all, how exactly does Bethesda intend on handling the future of Fallout lore?

The Fallout continuity suffered through a period of stagnancy until Bethesda came to its rescue, with Fallout 3 officially continuing the Fallout universe. And it also seems, despite Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series’s lack of emphasis on plot, Bethesda doesn’t seem afraid to make waves in the universe they inherited. At least, it seems that way considering aspects of Fallout 3’s main story and the Pitt’s story, both of which address two different matters with the potential to make life in the Wasteland a whole lot better.

Fallout 3’s main questline in itself was a departure from what Bethesda had gotten used to. In addition to the expansive, explorable world that was largely the selling point, Fallout 3 could arguably be Bethesda’s first dip in a long, deep plot primarily featured in the game. And by extension, it might be their first attempt at putting their setting at the whim of a powerful storyline that stretches across games. War never changes, but the status of the world in the Fallout series may very well change, and it could be due to the actions the player takes in the games.

I imagine we may be seeing the signs of this as soon as Broken Steel’s release, if not sooner. I know I’m expecting Bethesda to handle the Fallout universe much different from the way they handle the Elder Scrolls universe, and also different from how the Fallout universe was formerly handled.

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